A Tiding of Magpies
by Pir8grl
Summary: A collection of short fics featuring several Doctors and companions, inspired by a British nursery rhyme about magpies. A group of magpies is called a tiding. I'm writing these as I get inspiration for a verse, then rearranging the chapters to be in order, so I expect the notifications look a bit odd if you're following this, and I apologize for any confusion.
1. Chapter 1

_**One for sorrow **_

"Well, that girl was right," Susan said, studying the console, "the navigation system's dreadful, but there's just something about her, isn't there? Grandfather?"

"What? Indeed. There is something quite remarkable about this ship." He reached out and laid a careful hand against the time rotor.

Susan tipped her head to one side, observing him thoughtfully. "What's wrong, Grandfather? Why do you look so sad?"

"We've left our home, Susan."

"But isn't that what you wanted? To be free of all their rules, to travel and see what's out there?"

"Yes, of course. But it's still a solemn thing to leave one's home behind."

"But we can go back, can't we? Someday?"

"Possibly, but I fear it will never be quite the same." He stopped then, unsure of exactly how to express the deep sense of unease that curled in the back of his soul to himself, much less to her. "Susan," he began slowly, "that girl who directed us to this TARDIS…have you any idea who she is?"

"No, Grandfather. I've never seen her before. Why?"

"I don't know. It's just…when she spoke to me, I felt the strangest ripple in the timelines."

"Perhaps that means you'll meet her again someday," Susan replied, with the carelessness of youth.

"Perhaps." He drew in a deep breath to dispel the murk of maybe's and might's that were cluttering around in his brain. Right here and right now, he and Susan had the whole of time and space at their fingertips. "Where would you like to go first, my dear?"

"Earth. I'd like to see Earth."

_**Two for joy **_  
_**Three for a girl **_  
_**Four for a boy **_  
_**Five for silver **_  
_**Six for gold **_  
_**Seven for a secret never to be told **_  
_**Eight for a wish**_  
_**Nine for a kiss **_  
_**Ten for a time of joyous bliss** _


	2. Chapter 2

_**One for sorrow**_  
_**Two for joy **_  
__

_**Three for a Wedding**_  
{Alternate Verse}

"Gran," Santiago asked hesitantly, "do you ever regret it? Leaving the Doctor, I mean."

Jo Jones nee Grant turned to her grandson in shock. "Darling, how can you even ask that? I left him to marry your grandfather. If I hadn't…well, you wouldn't be here."

"I know. It's just…seeing other worlds, and outer space, and all those different aliens… Earth must seem so small after all that."

"Not at all. There's so many countries to explore, and so many adventures to be had. I think that's the single most important thing that my time with the Doctor taught me - that there are always new adventures, and they sneak up on you when you least expect them."

"I never expected that I'd get to meet him, or ride in the TARDIS," Santiago admitted.

"Neither did I, to tell the truth," Jo replied, ruffling her grandson's hair affectionately, "but I'm so glad you did. Even if he doesn't look at all like he did back in my day - he was so dashing back then, all velvet and ruffles."

Santiago blanched a bit at that mental image. The bowtie and tweed were enough of a fashion statement, as far as he was concerned. Still, a machine that could travel through time and space trumped any dubious clothing choices.

"Do you think I'll ever see him again?"

Jo pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Before today, I would have said 'no.' Now, who knows? Anything at all is possible." She jumped and clutched Santiago's arm as the voice of the hovercraft's pilot sounded over the PA. "Did he just say 'Dalek?'"

"No, Gran," Santiago replied patiently. "He said 'Darlig.'"

"Whatever for?"

"It's where we're landing, just outside of Bergen. Darlig Ulv Stranden. It means Bad Wolf Bay."

"What a very curious name." Holding tight to her grandson's hand,. Jo set her eyes firmly on the future, and their next adventure.

_**Three for a girl **_  
_**Four for a boy **_  
_**Five for silver **_  
_**Six for gold **_  
_**Seven for a secret never to be told **_  
_**Eight for a wish**_  
_**Nine for a kiss **_  
_**Ten for a time of joyous bliss**_

* * *

OK, so I cheated. I don't think I've ever seen any of the Third Doctor's adventures, so the only way for a story concerning him to happen is through the eyes of a companion. This takes place following the events of The Sarah Jane Adventures episode The Death of the Doctor. 


	3. Chapter 3

_**One for sorrow**_  
_**Two for joy **_

_**Three for a Girl **_

"Time Lords can regenerate, isn't that right?" Sky asked curiously, looking up from her homework.

"Yes," replied Sarah Jane, who was seated nearby on the broad attic step. .

"So, how many different versions of the Doctor have you known?"

"Four. What's brought this on?"

"I just wondered. I've never heard of another race that could regenerate. Which one did you meet first?"

"I believe it was his third."

"And are they all so very different?"

"In some ways, yes. Each body looks different, and sounds different, and has different taste in some things."

"But some things stay the same?"

"All these questions! Yes, he is the same man, inside. The same intellect and insatiable curiosity, the same courage and fierce protectiveness for those in need, the same love for the beauty and wonder of the universe. And the same manic energy. That never changes."

"Did you miss that first him, when he changed?"

Sarah Jane tipped her head thoughtfully to one side. "I suppose. It's hard to say, really. You see, the Doctor just seems to fall into one adventure after another so quickly, you never really have time to think about things like that until much later."

Sky looked down at the floor. "I changed a lot when I first arrived here."

Sarah Jane reached out and pulled her daughter into her lap, no matter that Sky was a bit big for such things. "I see where this is going, now. Yes, you did change, quite a bit when you first arrived, and no, it doesn't matter to me if you change again, I will always love you. Is that what you needed to know?"

Sky nodded, smiling. Sarah Jane gave her one last squeeze, then moved the girl off her lap to sit close beside her.

"Will you tell me about him? Your first Doctor, I mean?"

"Well, all right. He was rather dramatic. He liked to wear a velvet cape and ruffled shirts, and when he wasn't traveling in the TARDIS, he liked to drive a little yellow roadster he called Bessie…"

_**Four for a boy **_  
_**Five for silver **_  
_**Six for gold **_  
_**Seven for a secret never to be told **_  
_**Eight for a wish**_  
_**Nine for a kiss **_  
_**Ten for a time of joyous bliss**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**One for sorrow**_  
_**Two for joy **_  
_**Three for a girl **_  
_**Four for a boy **_  
_**Five for silver **_

_**Five for Young**_  
{Alternate Verse}

The Doctor studied himself curiously in the mirror. He was _**young**_. He hadn't looked this young, well, since he _**was**_ this young. Still, he expected it was a good thing. He'd need to be quite spry to keep up with this lot. Three companions in the TARDIS - so young themselves - truly young, that is, all so bright and energetic. Squabbling like siblings one moment, yet fiercely protective of each other. And of him. In a strange way, it was almost like having his own family back again.

Curious thing, regeneration. Results that seemed totally random at the outset, often turned out to be precisely what was needed.

_**Six for gold **_  
_**Seven for a secret never to be told **_  
_**Eight for a wish**_  
_**Nine for a kiss **_  
_**Ten for a time of joyous bliss**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**One for sorrow **_  
_**Two for joy **_  
_**Three for a girl **_  
_**Four for a boy **_

_**Five for silver**_

His nightmares lately were cast in shades of silver. Daleks and Cybermen, remorseless and implacable, destroying everything in their path. Not just things, but lives, and hope, and possibility. He'd lost Adric to the Cybermen, far too young, and before he'd even begun to touch the edges of his brilliance. Only the Doctor could see the path the young man had been meant to walk, and he grieved, both for his friend, and for the good that Adric would have brought to the universe.

And now, Tegan, not dead, but gone forever from his life, her heart and spirit broken by their latest encounter with the Daleks. He wondered, not for the first time, if he'd made the right decision all those years ago. His own people had sent him back in time to destroy the Daleks at the source, but no…he had to be noble, had to be the better man. All that rubbish about everything deserving a chance to grow and develop. How many innocent lives had his 'nobility' cost?

He had near-infinite power over the laws of time at his command. He wondered how much more he had to lose before he would exercise it.

_**Six for gold **_  
_**Seven for a secret never to be told **_  
_**Eight for a wish **_  
_**Nine for a kiss **_  
_**Ten for a time of joyous bliss**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**One for sorrow**_  
_**Two for joy **_  
_**Three for a girl **_  
_**Four for a boy **_  
_**Five for silver **_  
_**Six for gold **_

_**Seven for a secret never to be told**_

'Space vagrant.' Oh yes, he'd heard that one, no matter that Rachel was on the other side of the noisy room, or that he'd been attempting to concentrate. It was quite a common perception of him, at least by other races. The face he presented to the universe was a vagabond, a wanderer, eccentric, and apparently harmless. A daft old man with a magic box.

His own people chose to view him as a renegade, forever flouting their laws and traditions and policies of nonintervention. The High Council of Gallifrey claimed that their legislations and circumscriptions were in the interests of preserving peace, and the autonomy of other cultures. The Doctor called such behavior lazy, and self-righteous, and a few other things less likely to be heard in polite conversation. He didn't want to own the universe, or conquer it, or rule it, or any other such insanity…he just wanted to see it, experience it, appreciate it. And what his people called interference, he preferred to call intervention.

The secret he chose to conceal from his friends behind a somewhat foolish exterior was that there was very little that was truly impossible for him, very little that he could not in fact bend to his will. His own conscience held him in check, far better than any decrees of the Time Lords - his love of the wonder and beauty and diversity of the cosmos. Rules be damned, his chosen name was a promise, to help and to heal, to not stand idly by in the face of evil and injustice.

_**Eight for a wish**_  
_**Nine for a kiss **_  
_**Ten for a time of joyous bliss**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**One for sorrow**_  
_**Two for joy **_  
_**Three for a girl **_  
_**Four for a boy **_  
_**Five for silver **_  
_**Six for gold **_  
_**Seven for a secret never to be told **_  
_**Eight for a wish**_

_**Eight for Heaven**_  
{Alternate Verse}

The Doctor ran a hand lovingly across the console of the TARDIS. All of time and space at his fingertips and his splendid ship at his command - now, all that remained was to determine where he would go next. He could go visit Puccini again - and that brought a pang of regret - it would have been so lovely to make that particular trip with Grace. Or he could go for a walk through the gardens at Giverny, or travel to St. Petersburg to see Mathilde Kschessinskaya dance.

Or, his frankly magnificent time ship could decide to land in a not-so-savory section of South London. He frowned, twiddling various switches and dials, but the ship refused to move. "All right, Old Girl…December 1999...didn't we just go through all that?" He double checked the date. "Oh, Christmas! What are you playing at?" The TARDIS chirped softly at him, and he shrugged, straightening his coat.

"As good a place as any to begin, I suppose," he muttered, stepping out into a dingy alley. He rolled his eyes reproachfully at his ship. "You couldn't have picked someplace a bit cleaner?" The TARDIS hummed insistently inside his mind and he sighed, looking about.

The Doctor walked gingerly down the alley, mindful of the puddles and refuse. His sharp ears picked up a quiet sound, and he glanced around, trying to find the source. There - huddled on a box next to a filthy dumpster was a little girl, no more than twelve, he guessed, crying dreadfully. That wouldn't do, not at all. He knelt down in front of her, trying very hard not to think about what was soaking through the knees of his trousers.

"Whatever is the matter, my dear?"

The girl gasped, looking up at him through warm brown eyes that were wide with fear. She shoved a lock of light brown hair out of her face and sniveled ungracefully, shying away violently when the Doctor reached into his pocket.

He extended his silk handkerchief towards her, gently as if she was a wild creature that he didn't want to startle. "It's all right. I won't hurt you. Won't you tell me what happened?"

She stared into his eyes for a long, long moment, then reached out to take the handkerchief and mop her face. "Some big blokes took my bike," she whispered.

"Did they hurt you?" he demanded, noting a rip in the knee of her jeans, and some scrapes on her palms.

"Not really…just pushed me into the pavement is all." Fresh tears trickled down her cheeks. "Don't know why they even bothered. It was just from a consignment shop. Was all Mum could afford…"

The Doctor clenched his jaw to reign in a mounting fury. This new incarnation seemed quite peaceful and genteel on the surface, but abuse of the weak and helpless was one thing he simply could not abide. To hurt and rob such a darling little girl - and so close to Christmas! It was well for the culprits that they were long gone. Rising, he held out his hand to the girl.

"Come along, my dear. Let's find a policeman to get you sorted. I'm sure your mum must be worried about you."

She eyed him warily, and he smiled, as reassuringly as possible. Finally, she reached out and set her small hand trustingly in his. The Doctor led her from the alley, back out into the bustle of holiday shoppers. He spied a police officer perched on the hood of his patrol car, idly scanning the crowds and traffic while he sipped a Styrofoam cup of tea.

"Constable, my young friend here has had her bicycle stolen, D'you suppose you might do something about that?"

* * *

The Doctor melted back into the crowd as the officer took charge of the situation. Humans of this era were so nastily suspicious, he didn't fancy deflecting the sort of questions that might arise from the idea of him finding the girl alone in an alley. Her voice floated back to him over the noise of the crowd. _'I live on the Powell Estate.' _

Heading back to the TARDIS, he spied a shiny, brand new, red bike in a store window. Just the sort of thing a twelve year old girl would adore. He smiled broadly, imagining her joy at finding that under the tree on Christmas morning. Well, why not? Christmas was the time of miracles, after all.

_**Nine for a kiss **_  
_**Ten for a time of joyous bliss**_

* * *

Author's notes: If you've read my collection of Rose/TenToo shorts entitled Things I Recall, you'll recognize this as chapter two, this time, told from the Doctor's POV. Takes place right after the events of the 1996 movie.


	8. Chapter 8

_**One for sorrow **_  
_**Two for joy **_  
_**Three for a girl **_  
_**Four for a boy **_  
_**Five for silver **_  
_**Six for gold **_  
_**Seven for a secret never to be told **_

_**Eight for a wish **_

'If wishes were TARDISes, we'd all of us ride,' the Doctor thought whimsically as he moved about the console, undecided as to his next destination. It was so difficult, now, to stay on the fringes of the War. It was no longer enough to avoid home. The conflict had spread across the universe like a virulent cancer, destroying everything in its path. He abhorred war - the destruction, the brutality, and the horrendous waste of all that should be good, and wholesome, and beautiful. That his people, who had conquered time itself, should be reduced to participating in bloodshed sickened him beyond measure.

He thought briefly about popping back to twentieth - no, he corrected himself - twenty first century San Francisco and asking Grace to join him again, but thought better of it. He missed her - lovely Grace, so aptly named - but there were reasons why he never looked back. There was a picture of her engraved in his mind, beautiful and perfect, confident in her own identity and place in the world. It would break his hearts to go back and find that picture changed; to see her aged, or bestowing the sweetness of her kisses on another man. The Doctor swallowed down a bitter surge of shame and jealousy at that thought. He wanted her to be happy, of course he did…he just didn't particularly wish to bear witness to the specifics.

But he was lonely. This incarnation was quite a social creature. Even with the Time War threatening to rip the cosmos apart, there was still beauty and delight to be found, and he longed for someone to share it with. Where to look, though….that was the question. Not too close to home - anyone from Gallifrey would just try to drag him into the whole revolting mess, and he wanted no part of it. He also had to beware of poor souls who'd been partly converted by the Daleks. Davros's foul spawn wouldn't even let the dead rest in peace.

All he'd ever wanted, ever since he and Susan stole this TARDIS and ran away, was to see and experience the wonders of the universe. That's all he still wanted, really. In a sense, he was the greatest tourist in creation. He liked to think that he paid his way by helping here and there, righting egregious wrongs where needed. All right, so he was a meddlesome old fool, but he was a fool who preferred to solve issues through cunning and ingenuity, with a dash of mischief thrown in for good measure. But planned and organized wholesale slaughter…no…he had to get away.

That was it, then. He'd wander about some more, find a place far away from the War, and hopefully, find himself a friend. Not too much to ask, was it, really? Perhaps he'd finally manage to find that mysterious, dark-haired girl. The one who'd directed him to this TARDIS. The Doctor had a vague notion that he'd seen her several other times since, but he was usually quite busy at the time (oh, all right, he was usually trying very hard not to die) and didn't really register her presence until long after the fact. She was rather intriguing - rather pretty, also - and he'd quite fancy the chance to meet her properly.

And suddenly the TARDIS was picking up a distress signal. The Doctor couldn't help grinning with delight. Here was his chance - he could swoop in, rescue someone, and perhaps they'd be so grateful for being saved from splattering all over the surface of whatever rock it was that their disabled ship was about to crash into that they'd want to travel with him. Perfect all 'round.

He set the coordinates for the aft section of the soon-to-be-crashing-ship.

_**Nine for a kiss **_  
_**Ten for a time of joyous bliss** _


	9. Chapter 9

_**One for sorrow **_  
_**Two for joy **_  
_**Three for a girl **_  
_**Four for a boy **_  
_**Five for silver **_  
_**Six for gold **_  
_**Seven for a secret never to be told **_  
_**Eight for a wish **_

_**Nine for Hell**_  
_{Alternate verse}_

Silence. Where always before there had been the sense of his people, inside his head, now there was silence. For all that the other Time Lord's opinions of him had ranged from disparagement to disapproval to flat out dislike, still, they were his people, and their presence had always been there, a sort of background hum in his mind.

And now it was gone.

The Doctor slowly pushed himself into a sitting position, wondering absently how he'd come to be on the floor, and why it was so infernally dark. The stench of smoke and singed cloth and circuitry hung thick in the air. He wondered for a moment if he was finally in that hell that the humans were so fond of nattering on about. He suspected that he might just deserve it, this time.

He wondered at first if he were inside a cave somewhere. The walls that curved up around him to the ceiling were strangely organic in appearance, not the classic white and chrome of his TARDIS control room, where he'd retreated after…after he… He clearly recalled stealing the Moment from the vaults, but after that, it was all a blur. Still, he had to know, one way or another.

He dragged himself upright, leaning on something his brain sluggishly identified as indeed, a TARDIS console, and then his genius mind put two and two together. The silence in the depths of his mind meant that his people, his world, were well and truly gone. He was cut off and alone, and so was his TARDIS. It was as much of a shock to her as it was to him. Apparently, she'd been forced to reconfigure herself with only her own internal resources, hence the grungy, unfinished appearance.

And that's when he noticed the hands that he'd been leaning on weren't quite as he remembered. He held them up in front of his face, studying them. Still strong and calloused, still lined with hard labor, but not with age. So, he'd regenerated. Just as well. The idea that he - who'd sworn to never be cruel or cowardly - could have been both, and on such a colossal scale, sickened him beyond measure. He needed to run, farther and faster than he ever had before.

What he really needed, was to run from himself. But that was a fair bit of impossible, even for him. So he'd settle for the next best thing. First, he needed to strip off the last remnants of his past life and consign them to the incinerator. He wasn't at all sure of the location of the wardrobe room, given the TARDIS's precarious condition, but as usual, his old girl was looking out for him. There was a stack of neatly folded, serviceable dark clothing, and a pair of sturdy boots on the battered jump seat next to the console. He changed quickly, discarding the final vestiges of his last life onto the harsh metal grating of the TARDIS floor.

Then he leaned over the faintly lit console, trying to coax some information from the systems. There. Anomalous readings from Earth. He could lose himself on Earth, the civilization too primitive to have heard of or been involved in the Time War. Perhaps he could sort whatever this anomaly was, and in some infinitesimal way begin to atone for what he'd done. Or perhaps whatever it was would prove too strong for one newly-regenerated and newly-alone Time Lord in a weakened TARDIS. It really didn't matter to him, one way or another.

_**Nine for a kiss **_  
_**Ten for a time of joyous bliss** _


	10. Chapter 10

_**One for sorrow **_  
_**Two for joy **_  
_**Three for a girl **_  
_**Four for a boy **_  
_**Five for silver **_  
_**Six for gold **_  
_**Seven for a secret never to be told **_  
_**Eight for a wish **_

_**Nine for a kiss **_

It was ironic, on so very many levels. He had lost everything he ever held dear, but the Daleks, the cockroaches of the universe, kept turning up. And this time, it looked like the only way to stop them would leave him no room for escape. There was time when he wouldn't have cared; would have welcomed it, even. But of course, it had to happen now, when he'd finally found a measure of hope and peace, and perhaps even joy, in the form of one simple girl from Earth. He could stomach his own demise, after all, he deserved it, many times over, but not hers. Never hers.

So he'd kissed Rose Tyler soundly on her forehead, tricked her inside his TARDIS, and sent them both on their way, far, far away from all this. He could bear his own death, knowing that he hadn't dragged her bright soul down with him.

But as it turned out, the Doctor had underestimated his two precious girls, and they were back now, Rose awash in the energy of the Time Vortex. And it was killing her, and he simply wouldn't permit that. A touch was required to draw the power out of her, and this time, a simple kiss on the forehead wouldn't satisfy him, so he leaned down to kiss her lips. It would kill him, he knew. This him, at any rate, but that was all right. His only regret right now was that he'd never thought to explain the regeneration process to her, but his Rose was clever and strong and brave. She'd manage. He had faith in her. If he believed in anything at all in this godsforsaken universe, it was her.

_**Ten for a time of joyous bliss**_


	11. Chapter 11

_**One for sorrow **_  
_**Two for joy **_  
_**Three for a girl **_  
_**Four for a boy **_  
_**Five for silver **_  
_**Six for gold **_  
_**Seven for a secret never to be told **_  
_**Eight for a wish **_  
_**Nine for a kiss **_

_**Ten for a time of joyous bliss**_

Rose gazed in speechless delight at the world around her. Strange, ethereal creatures glided through the sky, ghosting silently on currents of cool air.

"They're not birds," she said, half to herself.

"No, they're not," the Doctor murmured.

"Well, what are they, then?"

"Weeeellll, the closest analogous Earth life form would probably be a type of pterosaur…but not quite. Actually, these creatures rather strongly resemble certain species of Myliobatoidei, although these are adapted for an aerial, rather than marine environment…"

"Doctor!" she exclaimed impatiently.

"Yes, Rose?"

"Shut up."

"You did ask."

"Can we just agree that they're pretty?"

He chuckled at that, delighting in the sparkle of her eyes, and the pink blush that the cold had stung into her cheeks.

"I think this is the most beautiful place you've ever taken me."

The Doctor opened his mouth, then shut it again. He, who had so many languages at his command, was suddenly at a loss to express to his companion that it wasn't the aesthetic qualities of the planet they were currently occupying, but her presence on it that made the place beautiful to him. He recalled a legend about this place, these creatures…that they carried wishes up to the gods, to be fulfilled, if they found the supplicants worthy. He swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry.

"How long are you gonna stay with me?"

"Forever," Rose replied, smiling brilliantly.

He returned that smile, his expression brimming with adoration, and silently made his wish.


	12. Chapter 12

_**One for sorrow**_  
_**Two for joy **_  
_**Three for a girl **_  
_**Four for a boy **_  
_**Five for silver **_  
_**Six for gold **_  
_**Seven for a secret never to be told **_  
_**Eight for a wish**_  
_**Nine for a kiss **_  
_**Ten for a time of joyous bliss **_

_**Ten is for the Devil Himsel'**_  
{Alternate Verse}

Just when he thought the tide of rage and anguish would finally sweep him away, she was there, her hand warm in his, and her comforting presence beside him. His Rose, lovely and beloved. But she was gone now, sealed in another universe, by his own hand. His world was gone, nothing left but memories and ashes on the cosmic winds, also by his hand. And his best friend had no memories of him, or saving the universe by his side. And that was his fault as well.

He wondered if his friends, who followed him so faithfully into fire and danger and death, understood just how powerful he could be, with no one to hold him in check. Perhaps they had an inkling now, having seen the other destroy the Daleks. He wondered uneasily if perhaps he was the one who shouldn't have been left alone.


End file.
